Tories caught out with misleading prison numbers tweet

Tories caught out with misleading prison numbers tweet

We all know that the Tories have a penchant for untruths, but their latest claim is so wildly inaccurate it makes you wonder if an intern has got a bit carried away...

Continuing with their campiagn for tough justice that is repeatedly shown to be ineffective at tackling crime, the Scottish Conservatives criticised SNP plans to put 10,000 "serious criminals" back on the street.

The SNP is about to ban prison sentences of less than a year, which would let almost 10,000 serious criminals back out onto the streets, potentially endangering the public.

They tweeted: "The SNP is about to ban prison sentences of less than a year, which would let almost 10,000 serious criminals back out onto the streets, potentially endangering the public."

There's just a few problems with that statement.

First of all, there aren't 10,000 criminals serving prison sentences of less than a year in Scotland.

In fact, there aren't even 10,000 people in prison in Scotland, full stop.

According to latest figures from the Scottish Prison Service, there are around 8000 in total, which includes those serving sentences longer than a year.

So even if every current prisoner in Scotland was let back onto the street right this second, the Tories would still be wrong.

Ok, we hear you say, BUT when you look at how many people in total move through the prison system over the course of a year, instead of just the current number, the figure is much higher. Could it be the case that the Tories meant that "serious criminals" would avoid prison, rather than being let "back out onto the streets"?

It's not what they said, but let's be generous and assume that's what they meant.

Even then, the claim that 10,000 "serious criminals" would be spared a prison sentence doesn't quite stack up.

Looking at the data, when it comes to offences that resulted in shorter stays in prison, it's more likely to be for shoplifting or a breach of the peace than a serious crime like attempted murder.

Heck, more people spent a short stint in prison for public urination, and miscellanious crimes, than they did for serious assault.

Don't get us wrong, here. We'd rather not catch sight of an unsteady figure having a wee next to the Garage nightclub on a Friday, but we wouldn't call them a "serious criminal" if we did...

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